Paul Hobbs Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2021 Red Wine

Paul Hobbs Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2021 Red Wine

95 pts. Vinous:

"The 2021 Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley) is dense, heady and explosive. All the classic Russian River exuberance comes through, but amplified in all of the good ways and none of the bad. Even with all of the richness and intensity, the 2021 retains good freshness as well as energy. A touch of whole clusters brightens the finish nicely."

If you like California Pinot Noirs, you'll love this one! Paul Hobbs is a classic Russian River Valley Pinot - bold, but not a "bomb" by any means. It's got a wonderfully intricate nose, followed by an explosion of delectable flavors! - Wine Factor

FROM THE WINERY

Tasting Notes

Our estates play a leading role in this wine with fruit selected across the appellation for its purity, richness, and elegance. Violet in hue, the 2021 vintage entices with pomegranate, dark cherry, and black tea. The voluptuous texture fuses with layered notes of boysenberry, bergamot, and hints of sage. As it moves across the palate both acid and fine-grained tannins are flawlessly integrated, accentuated by a red clay minerality. This is a refined and graceful wine with lively acidity, leading to a long finish.

Vineyard

▪ Clonal selection: 115, 777, 667, Pommard, 114, 113, Swan, 2a
▪ Rootstocks: 101-14, 420a, rg, 3309
▪ Sites: Various exposures, and soils including Sebastopol Series
▪ Yield: 3.74 tons/acre

Growing Season

One of the best vintages in recent memory, 2021 will be remembered for its intensely flavored berries, a smooth harvest and most importantly, exquisitely balanced, nuanced, and vivid wines. The season began with historically low rainfall which, coupled with a cold winter, delayed bud break. However, despite the cooler start to the year, the remainder of the season proved to be temperate with no relevant unfavorable weather events. Warm temps and mild May weather conditions, for example, favored a compact bloom and an extremely uniform fruit set with highly desirable small berries and moderately sized, well-spaced clusters.

Meanwhile, summer’s long, cool mornings and warm afternoons permitted the fruit on the vine to take a slow, leisurely ride to full maturity—excellent for the physiological fruit development we prize. Harvest kicked-off punctually at 12:01 am, September 6, and after six glorious weeks, blessed our house with a fine crop of remarkably delicious, energetic, young wines.

Harvest

▪ Hand-harvested at night, shears only
▪ Harvest dates: September 8 - 24

Winemaking

▪ Hand-sorted while still cold from the field
▪ 12% whole cluster inclusion
▪ Fermented in small, open-top stainless steel tanks with indigenous yeasts
▪ 5-day cold soak, 15 day maceration
▪ Gentle punchdowns
▪ Spontaneous malolactic fermentation in barrel
▪ Aged 9 months in French oak barrels; 33% new
▪ Coopers: François Frères, Cadus, Louis Latour, Billon, Leroi, Remond, Taransaud, and others
▪ Bottled unfined and unfiltered; August 2022